The subject matter presented herein generally relates to design programs used in project design and development, particularly in connection with building information modeling (BIM). The present invention relates generally to computer-aided design (CAD) and, more specifically, to replacing complex three-dimensional (3D) CAD objects with simple 3D shapes that capture metadata using 3D design software associated with importing object locations in a physical model into a CAD model of the physical model.
Conventional computer-aided design programs, for example AutoCAD® design program, focus strongly on 2D drawing and have functionality for designers to create two-dimensional objects, such as a door or a window, having metadata associated therewith. In this 2D context, the object can be conceived as an editable 2D object that may be customized within predefined limits. For example, in a conventional CAD program, one may position a door or a window within the 2D model, customizing the object (door or window in this example) by editing, for example, the object's dimensions (length, width, height), which correspond to pre-conceived, standardized fields. Thus, such conventional 2D design programs allow the designers to create custom, two-dimensional blocks within the design diagram to represent design elements.
Other design programs, such as Autodesk® 3ds Max® software, work almost exclusively in a 3D drawing environment with tools designed for creating, modeling, texturing, animating and rendering of 3D drawing objects with a high degree of realism. Still further, Autodesk® NavisWorks® software provides for 3D visualization, evaluation, online collaboration and animation. Thus, conventional 3D design programs involve the creation of complex 3D objects. AutoCAD®, Autodesk® 3ds Max®, and Autodesk® NavisWorks® are registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc., in the United States and other countries.